ELV to EV: What clean mobility policy must do
The move has sparked public debate, with some contending that a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate should be adequate. Yet, CAQM's action reflects an attempt to take a more decisive, data-driven approach to tackling Delhi's persistent air pollution challenges.
What critics are overlooking in this debate is that CAQM's directive is not a new rule, but an enforcement of long-standing judicial orders. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) already mandated these age-based limits on petrol sales in 2014-15, and the Supreme Court reaffirmed them in its 2018 ruling in the MC Mehta case. While the identification and impounding of aged vehicles is a routine annual exercise during the high-pollution winter months, the CAQM directive extends this effort year-round and brings fuel stations into the enforcement framework in a staggered manner, starting with Delhi and adjoining districts and eventually covering the larger NCR.
To help evaluate the intent and effectiveness of the directive, it is useful to revisit how vehicle emission norms have progressed in India and why older vehicles remain a concern.
India's transition from Bharat Stage (BS) I to BS VI emission norms has drastically improved vehicle emission standards. The concern is not about a vehicle's age, but about what that age represents: Older vehicles are equipped with outdated and more polluting technology. Older vehicles that only comply with BS II or BS III norms emit pollutants at levels many times higher than BS VI vehicles. Indeed, under laboratory conditions, the older BS II limits allow diesel cars to emit a staggering 18 times more particulate matter than BS VI limits. Even BS IV limits allow the diesel cars to emit five times more.
More troublingly, research on real-world vehicle emissions in Delhi and Gurugram led by The Real Urban Emissions (TRUE) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that exhaust emissions under actual driving conditions are significantly higher than the levels found in the lab.
Would a PUC test be enough to address this urgent problem? For petrol and CNG vehicles, PUC tests measure only carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons; for diesels, a less reliable measure of opacity (or how much light is blocked by emissions) is used as a loose proxy for PM emissions. The PUC testing regime could be more reliable if it were supplemented with real-world emissions monitoring tools such as remote sensing.
While using vehicle age as a criterion is a sensible starting point supported by legal precedent, a more effective long-term strategy would involve identifying and targeting high emitters through real-world screening. These vehicles could then be subjected to further checks, such as PUC re-testing or chassis dynamometer testing, to inform deregistration decisions.
Delhi continues to rank among the world's most polluted capital cities, with elevated levels of PM2.5 and PM10 persisting throughout the year. Vehicular emissions remain a major contributor, particularly to PM2.5 and nitrogen oxide (NOx), both of which have serious health and environmental consequences.
The harm this pollution inflicts on public health is well documented. The citizens of Delhi face increased rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, vulnerable and lower-income residents (who often live and work near high-traffic corridors) bear the brunt of pollution's impacts.
Clean air is a shared right, not a private entitlement. While restricting older vehicles is an effective first step to reduce emissions, our broader goal should be to identify and address high-emitting vehicles, regardless of age, through real-world monitoring using remote sensing and follow-up testing. Ensuring cleaner air through targeted, data-driven emissions control is not only an environmental priority but also a public health and social justice imperative.
While CAQM's directive is a welcome step, it addresses only part of the problem. Phasing out end-of-life vehicles reduces the stock of heavy polluters but does not necessarily accelerate the shift to zero-emission mobility.
To make more meaningful progress, Delhi and India more broadly need structural policies that accelerate the transition to clean electric vehicles (EVs). Critically, we must move the responsibility for shifting to clean transport from buyers to sellers through a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) sales requirement. These mandates, already implemented in markets like California and China, require automakers to sell a minimum percentage of ZEVs each year. ZEV sales requirements ensure consistent supply, reduced costs for consumers through scale and competition, and make electric mobility the default choice rather than the exception.
Delhi has made commendable progress through its EV policy and investments in public electric buses and last-mile delivery vehicles. But voluntary programmes and incentives alone may be insufficient. A ZEV sales mandate (paired with scrappage incentives and robust public charging infrastructure) can create a decisive shift in the market and support domestic manufacturing goals.
CAQM's policy is not about penalising people who own older, more polluting vehicles, but about enforcing court orders to protect public health. While age-based rules offer a starting point, more effective long-term solutions lie in identifying high emitters through real-world monitoring and acting on actual emissions data.
To make real, lasting progress, Delhi and other NCR states must go beyond enforcement. A ZEV mandate, backed by public investment and clear regulatory direction, will ensure the transition from reactive enforcement to proactive transformation.
Amit Bhatt is India managing director, and Anirudh Narla is a researcher, ICCT. The views expressed are personal.
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) already mandated these age-based limits on petrol sales in 2014-15, and the Supreme Court reaffirmed them in its 2018 ruling in the MC Mehta case. While the identification and impounding of aged vehicles is a routine annual exercise during the high-pollution winter months, the CAQM directive extends this effort year-round and brings fuel stations into the enforcement framework in a staggered manner, starting with Delhi and adjoining districts and eventually covering the larger NCR. To help evaluate the intent and effectiveness of the directive, it is useful to revisit how vehicle emission norms have progressed in India and why older vehicles remain a concern. India's transition from Bharat Stage (BS) I to BS VI emission norms has drastically improved vehicle emission standards. The concern is not about a vehicle's age, but about what that age represents: Older vehicles are equipped with outdated and more polluting technology. Older vehicles that only comply with BS II or BS III norms emit pollutants at levels many times higher than BS VI vehicles. Indeed, under laboratory conditions, the older BS II limits allow diesel cars to emit a staggering 18 times more particulate matter than BS VI limits. Even BS IV limits allow the diesel cars to emit five times more. More troublingly, research on real-world vehicle emissions in Delhi and Gurugram led by The Real Urban Emissions (TRUE) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that exhaust emissions under actual driving conditions are significantly higher than the levels found in the lab. Would a PUC test be enough to address this urgent problem? For petrol and CNG vehicles, PUC tests measure only carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons; for diesels, a less reliable measure of opacity (or how much light is blocked by emissions) is used as a loose proxy for PM emissions. The PUC testing regime could be more reliable if it were supplemented with real-world emissions monitoring tools such as remote sensing. While using vehicle age as a criterion is a sensible starting point supported by legal precedent, a more effective long-term strategy would involve identifying and targeting high emitters through real-world screening. These vehicles could then be subjected to further checks, such as PUC re-testing or chassis dynamometer testing, to inform deregistration decisions. Delhi continues to rank among the world's most polluted capital cities, with elevated levels of PM2.5 and PM10 persisting throughout the year. Vehicular emissions remain a major contributor, particularly to PM2.5 and nitrogen oxide (NOx), both of which have serious health and environmental consequences. The harm this pollution inflicts on public health is well documented. The citizens of Delhi face increased rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, vulnerable and lower-income residents (who often live and work near high-traffic corridors) bear the brunt of pollution's impacts. Clean air is a shared right, not a private entitlement. While restricting older vehicles is an effective first step to reduce emissions, our broader goal should be to identify and address high-emitting vehicles, regardless of age, through real-world monitoring using remote sensing and follow-up testing. Ensuring cleaner air through targeted, data-driven emissions control is not only an environmental priority but also a public health and social justice imperative. While CAQM's directive is a welcome step, it addresses only part of the problem. Phasing out end-of-life vehicles reduces the stock of heavy polluters but does not necessarily accelerate the shift to zero-emission mobility. To make more meaningful progress, Delhi and India more broadly need structural policies that accelerate the transition to clean electric vehicles (EVs). Critically, we must move the responsibility for shifting to clean transport from buyers to sellers through a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) sales requirement. These mandates, already implemented in markets like California and China, require automakers to sell a minimum percentage of ZEVs each year. ZEV sales requirements ensure consistent supply, reduced costs for consumers through scale and competition, and make electric mobility the default choice rather than the exception. Delhi has made commendable progress through its EV policy and investments in public electric buses and last-mile delivery vehicles. But voluntary programmes and incentives alone may be insufficient. A ZEV sales mandate (paired with scrappage incentives and robust public charging infrastructure) can create a decisive shift in the market and support domestic manufacturing goals. CAQM's policy is not about penalising people who own older, more polluting vehicles, but about enforcing court orders to protect public health. While age-based rules offer a starting point, more effective long-term solutions lie in identifying high emitters through real-world monitoring and acting on actual emissions data. To make real, lasting progress, Delhi and other NCR states must go beyond enforcement. A ZEV mandate, backed by public investment and clear regulatory direction, will ensure the transition from reactive enforcement to proactive transformation. Amit Bhatt is India managing director, and Anirudh Narla is a researcher, ICCT. The views expressed are personal.
